What the Heart Wants
by Tsyphony
Summary: Bonnie has gotten closure, right? Things should feel better, she should be happier. So why does she still feel like she is slipping away? A look into the downward spiral of our favorite witch. Who's going to save the savior? (BonKai)
1. Chapter 1

Bonnie trudged up the stairs of the Boarding house after her conversation with Damon, rubbing at her sore neck and shoulders. With everything that had happened today, she didn't feel like driving back to Whitmore just to deal with an unstable Caroline all night long. So she made her way down the hall to the bedroom she had claimed as her own during their stay in 1994. Pushing the door open, Bonnie noticed that the bed had been made up, a pair of sleep pants and one of Damon's old black t-shirts were folded neatly on the chair beside the bathroom. Bonnie smiled at the thoughtful gesture. It still amazed her how four months in confinement with someone could change the dynamic in a relationship. More proof that Damon could be thoughtful of others when the mood hit him.

Although a shower would relax her and sooth frayed nerves, Bonnie was too tired to even stand for fifteen more minutes. She would indulge in the morning, for the moment, all she wanted was to change and slide between the high thread count sheets into oblivion for the next 12 hours. She stripped and slipped the shirt and pants on. As she tied the drawstrings at her waist, Bonnie contemplated locking the door. There were now two Rippers with free roaming priveledges to the boarding house, but would a little twist knob be enough to stop Stefan or his mother if the impulse really came over them? Bonnie whispered a small spell under her breath, creating a barrier at the door and window, preventing anyone else from getting in. Stumbling at the further drain on her powers, she pulled back the covers and collapsed into downy softness.

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She was running. It was dark and cold, Bonnie's breath fogged before her nose, her panting causing little trailing clouds to follow in her wake through the forest. The snow clung to her legs and boots, making it hard to lift each step. Branches clawed at her coat as she tried to stumble past them, desperately looking for a familiar landmark. There was just a glimmer of light on the horizon, but Bonnie could barely make out more than ten feet ahead with the blizzard forming around her. Where was she? How had she gotten there? The last thing she remembered was drifting off to sleep, safe and warm.

A twig snapped off in the distance to her left, and a cold trickle began to run through her veins. She couldn't explain it, but the need to run faster pushed at her legs. Bonnie forced her feet to lift from their snowy entrapment and push through the increasing storm. Another sound in the distance made her skin crawl. She wasn't alone, and she found no comfort in that realization. Her head swam with relief as she broke into a small clearing and saw the Boardinghouse at the opposite end. It was draped in shadow, and something about it seemed changed, but she couldn't quite discern what. The sound of strange footsteps crunching in the snow behind her snapped Bonnie back to attention and she took off for the front porch. Throwing her body against the door, Bonnie collapsed in a heap just inside the entryway. She turned her head but could see nothing following her. With a shove, she slammed the door and muttered a quick protection spell to cloak her presence. Her chest heaved with exertion and she let her head fall back to rest against the wood frame. When her eyes finally opened she took in the surroundings.

The side table that normally stood in the front entry was missing, giving Bonnie a clear view to the front living room. Instead of the double couches she was used to seeing, there were two white upholstered chairs facing a delicate looking settee in dove gray. An oil lamp was lit on a side table and an antique mirror hung above the fireplace. The culmination of changes hit Bonnie with force and her breath was choked from her lungs. She slowly stood up and clutched at the wall behind her, her nails digging into the oak paneling. Bonnie had only caught a glimpse of it when they were there, but she would never forget Lilly's parlor from 1903. A strangled whimper broke free from her throat as she scanned the room, her eyes began to swim and she gasped to take in air.

Bonnie launched herself from the door, looking at it warily. Had it been Kai chasing her through the woods? The memory of his anguished look as he called her name before they disappeared flashed in her mind. How had he managed to summon her back? Even with his new powers, the coven leader would have needed her blood to make the transfer. Bonnie trembled at the possibility. The loneliness was like a gnawing hunger, hollowing her from the inside out, only to be replaced with panic. She felt wetness sliding down her cheeks and neck and she wiped at it with trembling fingers. When she pulled her hands back, what she had thought were tears, was blood covering her palms. She ran to the mirror. Although she didn't remember hitting her head, it would explain the fuzziness and disorientation. The witch gasped at the sight that met her eyes.

She had been expecting her own short bob, matted with blood and the same forest green eyes that had always returned her gaze, as well as the crumpled borrowed sleepwear too big for her tiny frame. In their place glaring at her in horror were dark blue eyes, short brown hair, and the much paler reflection of Kai Parker. The paleness of his stubble kissed cheeks was all the more amplified by the bright red blood tracing from a gash on his left temple. On the right side of his neck were also two deep puncture wounds, wounds Bonnie had seen too often to not recognize. She turned on her heel swiftly but the image stayed the same. Kai now stood in front of her, his body swaying slightly.

"Bonnie?" He croaked, his body slumped to his knees, and on reflex Bonnie caught his shoulders before he could completely collapse to the floor. Kai's eyes opened and his head lolled to the side to look up at her.

"Bonnie please." He whispered.

She shook her head in denial. Her eyes widened. This wasn't real, it couldn't be. The only vampire in 1903 had been Damon's mother and they had brought her back with them. This nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach began to feel very much like guilt, but she shook it off. Kai was a monster and deserved to be locked away from all humanity. She wasn't ashamed of what she had done, he had hurt her and left her alone to rot in his prison. She had just given him what he deserved; an eternity of solitude in his own personal hell. But alone, he would be alone, just like she had been.

The door made a sickening twisting sound before it exploded inwards. Bonnie yelped and crouched by the gray sofa. Kai's breathing labored as he tried to pull himself closer, attempting to hide behind the corner with her. A dark figure loomed in the hallway. Before it could get any closer, Bonnie whispered another cloaking spell, covering herself and Kai, as she still had a grip on one of his shoulders. The stranger entered the parlor quietly. Upon reaching the light, Bonnie could see it was a man, blond hair and of slim build. His clothes were turn of the century and his posture screamed Victorian Era morality. He scanned the room, his nostrils flared as he turned his head from side to side. Bonnie grimaced, even with a cloaking spell, there would be no hiding from a vampire with the copious amount of blood that covered Kai. She looked between the pale warlock at her feet, and the stranger who was slowly coming closer. Kai was on the verge of unconsciousness, but he seemed to be trying to mutter something. Bonnie bent closer and she heard the last word Kai whispered in his spell.

"_Motus"_

An antique spear flew from its position on the wall and into the chest of the vampire standing before them. His eyes grew wide as his skin became brittle and gray. He collapsed on the ground before them. As he spent his last few gasping breathes. Bonnie watched Kai crawl towards the corpse. He dug his fingers into the chest wound of the vampire and when he pulled them back, licked them clean of the blood he managed to dip them in. Bonnie saw the wounds on his head and neck begin to slowly close. It did not seem to have the instantaneous result living vampire blood seemed to have, but still managed to stop Kai's own blood loss and begin some of the healing process. Bonnie felt herself dry heave at the scene. Kai looked up in her general direction. He began to crawl back towards her. Bonnie shrank into herself and tensed, her muscles ready to spring forth. As he reached for her, the room began to swim again.

"Bonnie please."

She heard the plea, but it sounded distant. Bonnie could no longer see or feel anything. A cold darkness swallowed her from below, and the witch screamed as she fell into oblivion.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Chapter 2**

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**Thank you for all the lovely reviews. I just hope I can live up to your wonderful encouragement. **_Renee0716, _**I am also a huge BAMON fan, have been since I read the books. BONKAI has just swept me off my feet this season though. I would be happy with either at this point, although I think I'm leaning towards BONKAI simply because Kai's the only guy in the show to not have slept with one or both of her best friends.**

**On that note, this chapter does have a lot of DELENA interaction. Don't shoot me, I don't really like them either, but I'm not into bashing and I do want to make this as well rounded as I can. I'm already working on chapter 3 and hopefully it will be up next week. Hope you guys enjoy this. ;)**

**I own nothing but my own twisted sanity.**

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Damon sauntered up to the living room bar and poured a tumbler of his favorite Bourbon. Glancing at the half empty bottle, he contemplated killing it off in the near future with his favorite little witch. They had a lot to celebrate, and there would be even more once they got Stefan and Barbie vamp back to normal.

The front door opened and Damon could hear a familiar set of boots clacking across the entry way. Judging from their brisk pace, the owner was not in a good mood.

"I take it Rick and Enzo didn't fare as well in their planning?" He guessed as he spun around, meeting with the full effect of Elena's pout. She trudged over to him. Damon wrapped an arm around her shoulders and rubbed affectionately, attempting to soothe his girlfriend's ill temper.

"Not faring well would be the understatement of the year." She grumbled. "Not only did they not catch Stefan and Caroline, they almost got themselves blown up. Plus, there's now a missing drama teacher and one less player on the woman's lacrosse team. As if we needed any more targets on our backs."Elena slouched into the nearest couch and Damon followed. His eyebrows furrowed.

"Not to gloat, but I thought you said Barbie had everything under control? Ripping into two people hardly sounds like she's handling very well. What's the deal, Drama teacher give the part to the she-jock and Caroline decided to throw a vampire sized tantrum?"

Elena smacked his arm and wrinkled her nose. Damon pretended to wince and rub at the offended spot.

"I know Caroline, even without her humanity she wouldn't rip a guys head off, too much risk of getting blood on her dress." Elena muttered. "The drama teacher's head was completely torn from his neck, which is more your brother's M.O., much as I hate to think about it. But the girl..." Elena paused.

Damon's eyebrow rose. "The girl what?"

Elena glanced at him. She began twisting her fingers together and playing with the hem of her shirt.

"The girl was drained dry. But not from one bite, there were multiple fang marks all over her, and when I got a closer look, I could actually smell Caroline and Stefan on her." She looked up to Damon, her big doe eyed lashes blinking in confusion. Damon's brow furrowed, and he grimaced at the thought of what his brother and their perky blonde friend may be doing.

"Damon, I know you said that Stefan cleared out the weapons, and we thought that maybe we'd just have to worry about keeping them from killing each other, but what if they aren't out there fighting anymore? What if they're working together, egging each other on?" Elena wondered.

"Then we're just going to have to step up our plans a bit. Otherwise this is going to escalate out of hand a lot quicker than we thought." He murmured.

Elena sighed and lay her head in the crook of his neck. Damon rest his cheek against her hair and continued rubbing absentmindedly at her arm.

"Everything was just starting to look up." Elena moaned. "Alaric becoming human again, Jeremy going off to art school, and we finally got Bonnie back. Is it really too much to ask for a week with no Ghouls, monsters, or supernatural disasters to wreck our lives?"

Damon smirked. "You forgot to mention the illustrious return of your incredibly handsome boyfriend." Elena rolled her eyes. "You'd be bored out of your mind within a month, admit it. Not to mention missing the chance to see me perform daring acts of heroism." Damon scoffed. Elena huffed and lifted her head, she mock glared at him, eyebrows raised.

"Heroic acts? Damon, over half your plans are borderline crazy at best. You could make a James Bond villain look lazy." She giggled. Damon sneered and got up to refill his glass. Elena glanced around the room. "Did Bonnie decide to head home for the night?"

"No, I sent her up in her room, figured with the lunatics loose from the asylum, it'd be better if we all stuck close together." Damon sauntered back over to the couch.

"Her room?" Elena queried. "You know, I still can't quite get over how different you two are with each other." She shook her head. "Not that I'm complaining; it's nice not having to worry about you both being at each others throats anymore. It just takes some getting used to."

"Well I wouldn't go THAT far, bickering seems to be our thing." Damon shrugged. "Bonnie and I really aren't all that different, it just took being stuck alone with each other to make us realize that. We both would do anything for the people we love, we're sassy as hell, stubborn, and completely bad ass." He smirked. "Although, I'm definitely the better looking one."

Elena laughed and stood to wrap her arms around her boyfriend's tone shoulders.

"While I'll agree to some of that, Bonnie isn't half as ruthless as you can be. I know her Damon, Bonnie doesn't have a mean bone in her body, she isn't capable of hurting someone unless it's to save the people she loves."

Damon's mind drifted back to the time spent in 1994, pulling up the image of Bonnie flinging a pickaxe into Kai's chest. He thought about their conversation from that morning; the plan to lure Kai into the prison world and then leave him to rot. Bonnie had been adamant about bringing the hunting knife, and he shuddered to think how far she might have gone had the little weasel not pulled his disappearing act. He looked back to Elena and pursed his lips. He had a feeling his girlfriend was in for a very rude awakening.

"You might be surprised just how spiteful she can be. Elena, Bonnie's not the same person you knew, you might want to keep that in mind."

Elena pulled back and glared up at him. Damon rolled his eyes, this was not the outcome he was hoping for. All he wanted was to finish his drink, make love to his girl, and then pass out in the comfort of his big bed.

"I think I know how to read my best friend, Damon. No matter how much time you two may have spent together, I've known her longer. We've been together since we were babies, she's my sister. I would know if something were different with Bonnie."

"Would you?" Damon countered. Something hot and angry coiled in his belly, and he stepped in close, his breath fanning across her face. "With everything else going on, Jeremy, Caroline, you erasing me, can you honestly say you've taken a good long look at your bestie lately?"

"That's not fair, " she whispered. "We've all been trying to deal as best we can. Bonnie just got back, it's not exactly like we've had a lot of time to just girl chat." Elena looked down and sniffled a bit. "You said you wouldn't throw the compulsion in my face again, I am trying Damon." Limpid pools of soft brown met his gaze. Damon sighed and pulled her in close. He buried his nose in her hair and greedily took in the scent he had missed for so long.

"I know, hey, I'm sorry okay? I didn't mean anything by it, I just don't want you to get your hopes up." He sighed.

"Get my hopes up about what?" She asked into his collar. Damon was about to reply when a shriek cut the air. In a flash, he was standing outside Bonnie's door. He tried to turn the knob, but it wouldn't budge. He slammed into the wood, putting all his supernatural strength behind it, but was repelled back, bouncing off the opposite wall. Elena began pounding on the door and calling Bonnie's name. Lily Salvatore stood at the end of the hallway, unsure of what to do. Damon scrambled back up and slammed his hand on the oak panel.

"Bonnie! Open the door Judgey!" He could hear muffled noises coming from inside. "Come on Bon Bon, open the damn door." He coaxed. The choked sobs stilled, and suddenly, the door swung open, banging into the opposite wall with force. Damon stumbled into the room, Elena right behind him. He scanned the space, searching for any intruders. In the corner, wedged between the bed and the nightstand, Bonnie huddled in a mass of blankets and sheets. She had stopped crying, but her face was ashen, and her hands trembled where they clutched at the covers. Damon slowly approached her and crouched when he was about a foot away. Elena made to rush over, but Damon held up a hand, warding her off. Bonnie met his eyes for a moment, then returned her gaze back to the floor, she smiled sheepishly.

"You know, I'm used to girls falling for me, but usually it's _into_ bed, not out of one." Damon said dryly.

Bonnie laughed and the vibrant hue seemed to return to her cheeks and eyes. Damon smirked, inside he could feel the fear retreating, allowing him to draw unnecessary breathes again. Bonnie pushed at the blankets trapped around her legs and Damon helped her to stand out of them.

"Sorry about that, guess everything today just sort of caught up to me. But I'm fine now, really." At this, Bonnie threw a reassuring smile to her best friend. Elena shifted from one foot to the other, still looking unconvinced. Damon glanced over his shoulder and noticed his mother hovering in the doorway as well.

"Elena, why don't you take my mother back to bed, I'll handle this."

Elena looked between her boyfriend and sister. Both gave her small nods. She walked over and wrapped Bonnie in her arms, as if she would fall apart at any second. Bonnie smiled and squeezed her shoulders.

"Why don't we go get lattes tomorrow? We can take a walk through the park like we used to. I think we could both use a morning off to just be silly and normal." Elena whispered to her.

"I'd like that." Bonnie sighed as she pulled back. Elena gave one more small smile and went to the door to collect Lily. The older woman was studying Bonnie curiously, but said nothing. She left without a word and followed Elena back down the hall. Damon's shoulders slumped when he could no longer hear the two. He turned back to the petite woman in front of him and eyed her critically.

"You okay?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, Damon, I told you I'm fine." Bonnie scoffed. Damon rolled his eyes.

"Yeah and if I believed that load, I never would have been able to kick your butt at Monopoly. Your a terrible liar Bennett. So how bout we try this again, I'll ask you what's wrong, and this time you'll tell me what's really going on in that stubborn little head of yours." The arrogant vampire shoved his hands into the pockets of his too tight jeans and widened his stance.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes up at his unmoving form and sighed. "I told you, it really was nothing, just a nightmare. I thought I was back in the prison world, and for some reason I saw Kai there, or I was Kai, or he was chasing me..." she shook her head at the confusion. Now that she was awake, the whole thing was starting to blur together, becoming one jumbled unreadable mess. "I don't know, none of it made sense, there was even a vampire there at one point, and it looked like Kai had been bitten, but that's not possible, cause we brought your mom back with us and this vampire was a guy." Damon's eyes widened at this, but Bonnie didn't notice. "I'm just overtired and worked up, Damon. I promise, I'll be fine in the morning, I just need to get some real sleep." She muttered. A yawn overtook her at that moment, and the witch could feel her eyes begin to droop.

Damon decided to drop the argument. He could tell his normally spitfire friend was standing on her last leg, and from experience, morning Bonnie was cranky even with a full eight hours on board. He shrugged his shoulders and scooped up the bedding from the floor. Bonnie helped him rearrange the covers back on the bed and then slipped back underneath. Damon watched her for a moment. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

"Alright, have it your way, Witchy. Just remember, I'm right down the hall if you need me."

"Yeah right, like I want to risk being exposed to more images of you doing disturbing things to my best friend? No thanks." She yawned.

"Don't be jealous Bon Bon, you could always join in, you know." He smirked and waggled his eyebrows at her. Bonnie made a gagging noise and rolled her eyes at him.

"I thought you were trying to keep me from having nightmares, not giving me more." Bonnie laughed. Damon smiled and hit the light on his way out.

"Night night Judgey, don't let the Bloodsuckers bite." He sing-songed as he shut the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Chapter 3**

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**Again thank you all for the kind words, you guys are so wonderful. Sorry this one took a bit longer, I had a lot going on this week. Hopefully I can keep on top of Chapter 4 better than this one. Hope you enjoy!**

**Again I own nothing.**

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This was just not his day.

Kai huffed as he dragged the desiccated corpse to the basement. His shoulders burned with fatigue, the only thought fueling him was the image of his hand wrapped around a steak protruding from a certain dark haired vampire's chest and his other squeezing that green eyed vixen's pretty little neck. He shoved the vampire down the steps and muttered a hasty seal over the entry. Kai wasn't sure how long the spell would last, but given the state they had been in, he didn't think he'd be receiving anymore famished company today. Still, it would be best to grab what supplies he could scrounge up and find shelter elsewhere. Kai limped though the house, grabbing extra blankets, an oil lamp, and headed back out into the cold.

By the time he reached Mystic Falls' boarders, Kai's feet and hands were aching from the cold, and his once closed wounds were beginning to weep. He dragged himself towards the nearest building; an empty apothecary from the looks of the herbals stacked on the shelves.

"A witch's paradise." He huffed, pulling down a couple random vials. Kai began to mix a poultice, then found some dressing to wrap his leg and head with. He attempted to cover the stab wound on his back, but twisting caused the overexerted muscles to spasm. Cursing out, Kai slumped to the floor. Through the window, he could just see the sun's rays creeping over the ground. The snow had stilled for the moment, and the sky turned a pale shade of periwinkle blue. Silence was all consuming; there were no birds to herald morning with a song, no early risers waking for work. He was utterly alone. The all consuming fear crept from his belly and into every fiber of his being. The warlock felt his breath quicken as panic overwhelmed him. He stood on shaking legs and began to search the shelves once more.

"Monk's Hood, Valerian, where the hell is it?" He muttered, looking across the counter, behind a cabinet door, he found his solution. "Nightshade." He whispered. With trembling hands, Kai reached for the small elixir. He wiped his nose with his sleeve, and took a few gulping breaths, uncorking the bottle. "At least this way, I go on my own terms." He laughed and raised the bottle to his lips. As he closed his eyes, an image flashed before him. He saw Josette, resting in a hospital bed, a small bundle cradled in her arms. She caressed the tiny thing, smiling lovingly down at her little miracle. Kai seemed to float closer, and he could see the baby nuzzle into his twins embrace. Jo looked up at Kai and their was no malice in her eyes, only love.

The bottle stilled as Kai bit into his lip. He let it drop to the floor and watched the contents spill between wooden slats. A delirious laugh bubbled up and escaped his lips as he looked around his new prison. Even here he couldn't die. Thanks to Luke's generous contribution, the thought of offing himself, and by proxy, his twin and her unborn offspring, turned his innards to ice.

A door in the corner lead to a back office. Behind it was a narrow cot and a black wood stove. Kai set his lamp on the small writing desk and collapsed onto the cot. He grimaced as he rolled onto his back and undid the laces on his boots, slowly pulling them off. He took one of his stolen blankets and used it to ward away the residual chill. Resting his head on his arms Kai stared up at the ceiling, counting the yellowed cracks and traced their abstract patterns. He was again trapped in a never ending hell, with only the walking undead for company. Either vampires, exposure, or starvation would lead to a long and drawn out demise. Kai was officially fucked.

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Morning broke bright and warm against the windows of the Salvatore Boarding house. Bonnie hummed to herself as she dressed and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. A week had past since they had brought Damon's mom back from 1903. Aside from the one nightmare, Bonnie had slept peacefully every since. Unfortunately on other fronts, Stefan and Caroline had dropped from the face of the Earth. Elena and Damon spent most of there time pacing and brooding in the living room, plotting a way to bring the terrible twosome out of hiding. Try as she might to get involved, Bonnie just could not bring herself to really care. The distance from her friends felt weird, it was as though she were watching some twisted reality show rather than her own life. But it also felt freeing. Elena had spent most of the first morning they were back regaling her in intimate detail of everything that had happened in the almost full year she had been dead.

"Away" Elena had called it. She hated it whenever Bonnie mentioned the "D" word, Bonnie found this morbidly amusing, and began to bring it up as often as she could. Damon, not wanting to get in between things, kept his distance for the most part, but she had caught him smirking at a few of her better references now and then.

She still hadn't enrolled for next semester. When Elena had asked why, she simply used all the supernatural drama as an excuse.

"We have enough on our plates as it is. I'll worry about taking electives versus core classes once Caroline can fret right along with us. I'm not planning on kicking up my pointy shoes again anytime soon, I've got time." Bonnie said sarcastically. Elena scrunched her nose in distaste and Bonnie thought it best to change the subject.

"How are things with the Mother-in-Law?" She whispered. Sure enough, Elena rolled her eyes and began to lament.

"It's so weird, Bon." Elena sighed. "I was always so close with my mom, and when she was gone, I would have given anything in the world just to spend one more day with her. But with Damon and Lily, it's like watching two total strangers who are stuck in the same hotel elevator. There's maybe two or three civil words, and then Lily barricades herself up in Stefan's room, or Damon goes out for a 'food run'. If he steals anymore blood bags, the Red Cross is going to set up a triage tent in the front yard."

Bonnie snorted. She had noticed the icy tension between mother and son. "Damon's just in a sulk, you know how he can get. He was wrong about her being dead and a vampire, and as usual, if he's been hurt, everyone in the world has to know about it. He'll drink a couple gallons of Bourbon, make wise ass remarks, hopefully not kill anyone this time around, and then snap out of it just in time to be the Big Damn Hero when we get Stefan and Caroline back. As for his mom, she's probably just in shock. A whole century has passed since she was locked away, it's a lot to take in. At least she adjusted to drinking blood from plastic bags easy enough. Having to worry about another blood lusting Salvatore is the last thing we need right now."

Elena had smiled at that and twisted her fingers together. "Yeah." She whispered softly.

Inhaling the scent of dark roasted coffee, Bonnie hummed with delight as she strolled into the kitchen. Damon was scrambling eggs at the oven and dancing around to some song on the radio. She shook her head.

"Glad to see some things never change." The witch muttered while grabbing a mug and some fresh brew. She sat at the counter and Damon handed her a plate.

"Don't be jealous of my smooth moves, Bon Bon." He teased.

"What, no pancakes?" She snarked back. Damon grinned as he joined her.

"As much as I know you love my culinary skills with a flapjack, Judgey, I vote in favor of banning those silver dollar wonders from this house for at least the next decade."

"I second the vote." Bonnie said with a grin.

"Motion carried." He smirked wolfishly and bit into cheesy egg goodness. Bonnie laughed silently at his antics and took the paper without a word. She idly stared at today's crossword as she ate. Moments like this made the quiet bearable again.

"Where are Elena and your mom?" She asked after awhile.

"Since she still lacks a daylight ring, Mother Dearest has chosen to repose during these sunny hours, and Elena said she had some leads she wanted to check up on. Apparently a couple of kids decided going camping for spring break was a good idea. They didn't show up for roll call this week." Damon grimaced. He grabbed her plate and proceed to wash up. For such a self proclaimed bad boy, the older Salvatore was very anal when it came to cleanliness.

"So she thinks Stefan and Caroline may be responsible for this?" Bonnie worried. She walked over and sat on the counter next to him, taking a dish towel and drying whatever he handed her.

"Could be, or they could just be a bunch of regular dumb kids who got lost, like most people do in the woods. Honestly, who the hell goes camping anymore? Didn't any of you see Friday the 13th growing up? I thought Spring Break was supposed to be full of beaches and Girls Gone Wild antics." Damon growled.

"Once again, you show what a geriatric pig you are."

"Oink Oink." Damon said sarcastically, waggling his eyebrows at her. Bonnie rolled her eyes and shoved him as she got down. She placed the last plate in the rack and then turned to face him.

"Listen, I'm sorry about your mom being stuck here. With everything else going on, I totally spaced about making her a ring. I'm surprised you hadn't nagged me about it before now. We can go into town today, I'll grab the stuff I need from that curio shop, and make it as soon as we get back."

Damon took the towel from her and continued to wipe down the sink and counters. He shrugged his shoulders when his back was towards her.

"No worries, Glenda. It's not like she needs to go anywhere until we actually have a location for Stefan and Blondie." He replied nonchalantly. Bonnie touched his arm and he finally turned around to look at her.

"Hey, I know things aren't exactly ideal between the two of you. Coming from someone who knows all about mommy issues, I get it. But Damon, this is a second chance for you two. Don't you even want to show her all the things she's missed in the last hundred years? All the things she's especially missed in your life? You and Stefan are a big part of this town, whether anyone knows it or not. Your mother deserves to know the kind of men her boys grew up to be." Bonnie said quietly.

Damon looked at her for a moment, his face somber. There was an unreadable emotion in his eyes, and just as Bonnie was about to ask him, he looked away and cracked a smile.

"Careful, Bon Bon, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you cared." He joked.

"Well we wouldn't want that." The witch smiled. Damon cleared his throat and his face became serious again. His eyes searched her for a moment. "Listen, if your up for it, then it's fine, I just don't want to push you before your ready."

"Push me, with what? I still have Qetsiyah's magic, and I reabsorbed my own from Ms. Cuddles when we got home. I've never been stronger. I hardly think making a daylight ring is going to prove too taxing." She smirked.

Damon shook his head. "That not what I meant, and you know it." He eyed her. "Aside from the very short trip you guys took to the coffee shop the other day, you haven't left this Boarding House. The last time you were around more than me and Elena, you turned a guy's hand into charbroil and skewered me."

"Last I recall, you were an asshole and that handsy frat boy deserved it." She hissed. Damon raised his hands in concession.

"I'm not denying any of that. But you can't tell me that part of you didn't lose a bit of control. You were panicking Bonnie, and it's okay to admit it." He soothed. "And while we're on the subject of your handle on magic. Are you sure keeping your Single-Female Ancestor's crazy blood rock juju is a good idea? Last time things didn't go so well and you ended up all crypt keeper like."

Bonnie scoffed and shook her head. "How many times do I have to tell you nothing is wrong?! I'm sleeping like a baby. I haven't gone out because I've been trying to locate your brother and my best friend, and I'm not crazy enough to try and raise the dead again. Kill me once, shame on you, kill me four times, I think I get the hint. No more martyr Bonnie, Damon, I promise." She crossed her heart and raised two fingers. "Girlscouts' honor."

Damon raised an eyebrow for a moment then shrugged his shoulders and wrapped an arm around her as they headed for the front door. "Fine Judgey, we'll take a little shopping trip and go get Mommy a visitor's pass to the free world." Bonnie sighed in relief and opened the door.

"So, you wouldn't still happen to have that Girl Scout outfit, would you?"

"Ugh, still disgusting!" Bonnie groaned.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Chapter 4**

* * *

**Sorry for the massive delay, I was have trouble figuring out just how to outline this story. Plus the last few episodes have REALLY left me depressed, as I'm sure you guys are as well. But I know how I want to continue with this, and I have every intention of keeping this up. Thank you again for all of the wonderful reviews and encouragement, you guys are the best. Hope you enjoy.**

**As always, I own nothing.**

* * *

The smells of sage and leather bound books permeated Bonnie's senses as she stepped into the shop. She sighed and felt the tension drain from her body. Walking into the herbal store was a bit like coming home.

Damon smirked at the giddy grin plastered across the little witch's face. It had been some time since he had seen Bonnie so genuinely relaxed. His nose wrinkled at the overwhelming odor of herbs and homeopathic remedies. An elderly woman behind the counter watched him warily from her bifocals.

"This place smells like Jimi Hendrix's VW after Woodstock. Let's get the stuff and get out of here ASAP. Mary Tyler Moore over there is giving me the creeps." He mumbled as he turned and sneered back at the old woman.

"You're right, she looks absolutely terrifying." Bonnie whispered mockingly as she eyed the woman from around Damon's shoulder.

"Hey, don't knock the vamp intuition. For all you know, she could be baking vervain laced ginger snaps."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and proceeded down the aisles. She pulled the list from her pocket and dropped needed materials into her basket as they passed them. As she came to the end of one of the shelves, a flash of light caught her eye. In the corner wall was a wooden door almost hidden by the shadows. A flicker of candlelight lit the floorboards underneath. Bonnie felt a pulling sensation in her middle drawing her towards the entryway. She stepped forward, a shadow crossed the floor. Bonnie gasped as a hand pulled at her shoulder.

"Hey, earth to Judgey, this the last of it?" Bonnie swung around, her eyes wide. Damon tensed and began searching the room for a possible threat. He felt a tremor pass through the girl in front of him and began rubbing at her shoulder. He eyed her pinched features, any residual calm had been eradicated, her face was pale, and she unconsciously bit at the corner of her lip as she kept glancing back to the wall. Damon looked over her shoulder, but all he could see were empty barrels and a dusty bookshelf. He gently steered her back to the front of the store.

"You okay?" He queried.

Bonnie shook herself, clearing the haze from her brain. "Yeah, just thought I saw something for a second." She smiled ruefully up at him, but Damon could still feel the chill coming off of her. He wrapped her in his leather jacket.

"Look, why don't I go pay for this stuff and you get some air; all the patchouli in this place would make anybody hallucinate." He looked her over once more before making for the counter.

Bonnie took a deep breathe then headed out the door. The bright sunlight blinded her as she stepped out onto the porch. She wrapped Damon's coat around her tighter, the brisk winter air nipped at her cheeks. She hadn't remembered it being so cold earlier.

Silence finally registered and Bonnie looked up to see a deserted street. The town square was empty of its usual crowd of midday shoppers. As she turned, Bonnie saw abandoned buildings to her left and right. She glanced back towards the shop, but found the glass door replaced with a wooden one, the windows dark, and shutters pulled closed.

A chill having nothing to do with the outdoor temperature stole over her body as she realized where she was. Living in Mystic Falls, she had seen numerous pictures of the town in it's early development. Somehow she had been transported back to 1903 again.

The wind seemed to sense her distress and began whipping around her, tearing and biting at any exposed skin. Bonnie pushed at the door in front of her and stumbled into the darkened room.

The shelves were very much the same, and just as overstocked as they had been in her time. She shuffled quietly forward, eying the corners for any kind of movement. A crunch of glass under her feet gave her pause. She glanced down at the crushed bottle, noting the unidentifiable herbs. As she studied them a movement to her left caused her to freeze. She looked up to find the same door she had seen before. Tendrils of light danced underneath, and Bonnie found herself standing to walk towards it. Her heart hammered against her chest as she pushed on the oak panel. Silent hinges swung inwards and Bonnie found herself in an old office. In the dim lantern light, she could just make out a small cot heaped with blankets and a writing desk on the far wall. She turned and took in the last wall, a couple of sketches were nailed haphazardly to it.

"Have to say, this place makes 94' look like a paradise, but if your here for a conjugal visit, I may just rethink my opinion of this hellhole." A voice wheezed in her ear.

Bonnie spun round raising her hand to attack but was pushed forcefully against the wall, a hand trapped her arms above her head, the other wrapped around her throat. Bright green met with fever glazed gray eyes. His skin was pale and clammy. She could feel the moisture on his palms as he squeezed her wrists and it made her cringe in revulsion.

"Kai." She sneered. "I don't know how your doing it, but if you think I'm gonna feel sorry for you just cause you keep bringing me back here, you're sorely mistaken." Bonnie glared defiantly up at him. Kai laughed derisively and leaned his body weight into her. His hot breath broke against her skin, Bonnie could almost feel the infection radiating from his body. This close up, she could see the red angry weeping puncture holes in his neck. Whatever blood he had taken from the vampire in her last dream had apparently not been enough. The warlock looked downright septic.

"That's cute, Princess, because clearly, I have enough power to be wasting on summoning you. You know, usually, you're a lot more amicable in these fantasies." His eyes dropped to roam over the rest of her body then squinted back up at her. "You're also a lot more naked too, is that the leech's jacket?"

Bonnie brought her knee up into his stomach, Kai groaned and grasped the wall to keep himself from toppling over. Using this to her advantage, the witch sped across the room and warily eyed him.

"Much as I like a little S&amp;M, that definitely hasn't happened before." He gasped. Kai stood and sagged against the wall behind him. His breathing was labored and he seemed to be sweating even more now.

"You look like shit." Bonnie drawled. She rested a hip against the writing desk, but kept a watchful eye on the door between them. Her hand found an abandoned letter opener and she inconspicuously slipped it into her sleeve.

"Aw thanks hon." Kai rolled his eyes. "Did you seriously think I'd be the picture of health after Dracula used me for a Slurpee?"

"That was a dream," Bonnie shook her head. "This is a dream, a hallucination brought on by a mix of bad herbs being burned. You are not real."

Kai chuckled. "You dream about me often Bon? Or maybe it's your guilt getting to you?"

"Why the hell would I have anything to feel guilty about? Turn about is fair play, right _Malachai? _Don't be bitter just because someone got the jump on you for once." Bonnie replied smugly. Kai's eyes narrowed at her. He stood and staggered towards her till their was barely a foot between them. Bonnie shifted her weight, ready to stab him and run at the smallest threat. The muscles in Kai's jaw clenched as he watched her wary behavior.

"Is that what this was for you?" He ground out. "A way to pay me back for leaving your hypocritical ass behind? Yeah, Bon, I left you there. I left you in an _empty_ prison world because had I even thought to bring you back with me to Mystic Falls, you would have found another way to keep me there. So I took your blood, and I took Jo's magic, and I got the hell out while I could."

"Took my blood?!" She hissed. "Call it what it was Kai! You didn't pull out a syringe and just draw up a few cc's, you stabbed me with a hunting knife!"

"And you impaled me with a pick ax first. You wanna play the honest game? Cause right now if we tally up the scores, you're still ahead in the murder me department." Kai growled. He towered over her, but Bonnie held her ground, thrusting her chin up in defiance and glaring back at him. "If you want me to apologize for taking my one shot at freedom, you won't get one. You spent four months alone and you tried to kill yourself, Bonnie, imagine what twenty years with no escape felt like." Kai watched her for a moment and then burst into maniacal giggles. He turned and slouched onto the cot, his forearms resting on his knees. "I'm not sorry I got out Bon, but I did try to apologize for hurting you, and look where it got me." He grinned and spread his arms wide. "I tell ya, if I had known just how fucked up merging with Luke would make me, " He laughed again. "I might have just skipped the whole damn thing. Having feelings has done nothing but get me into trouble since. Look at your birthday, Damon guilt tripped me into sending you that message, and then when Jeremy and I went back to keep you from taking a dirt nap with the Camaro; Liv comes up and stabs me in the back." At this, he made to turn to look behind him, grabbing at the bloodstained shirt. "Is there a target back there or something, cause your the second person to go for that spot." Kai turned back around to stare at her questioningly. Bonnie could see the sweat dripping from his forehead, the fever was escalating.

"What do you mean you and Jeremy came back? Damon wrote those notes in the map before he left, he told me." Bonnie asked. Her throat suddenly felt very tight, she coughed and rubbed at it, trying to clear the block.

Kai laughed. "Clearly Damon didn't give you the full story, but it's not like it's the first time that's ever happened before. Or likely to be the last, cause, I hate to tell ya," At this he pulled his collar away from the red welts on his neck. "Ripper momma Salvatore's friends are very much real."

Bonnie opened her mouth but was interrupted by the sound of bottles breaking. Both she and Kai moved silently to the door, peering out into the darkened room. An inky blackness met their gaze, night had fallen and only a sliver of the Aurora Borealis shown through the cracks in the shutters. Bonnie felt a shiver climb up her spine and she turned to look at Kai just as the door flew off the hinges.

Both were thrown back, Kai toppled over the cot and Bonnie landed on top of him. Splinters rained down in the room and through blurry vision, Bonnie could just make out a tall figure. She looked down to find Kai unconscious but breathing. Carefully she tucked his body further under the makeshift bed and crouched behind it. She watched the figure step closer, and as it entered the dimly lit office space, she flung the letter opener, using her magic to aim for it's heart. To her surprise and horror, the knife stopped mid air, and with a flick of a wrist, it swung back around and imbedded itself deep into her shoulder.

Bonnie grunted at the pain and scurried back as the figure came closer. She could hear a deep rattling hiss coming from it. As her back hit the wall, her eyes cleared enough to make out a man, his eyes blackened and razor sharp fangs protruding from his mouth. The witch tried to force him back, but blinding pain raced through her brain, as if every neuron had been set on fire. She shrieked in agony.

* * *

Damon stepped out onto the busy street, idly checking the bag of goods he'd just bought. The sound of a scream and honking horns brought him back to reality. He looked up in time to see a car swerve around a blank faced Bonnie Bennett, who happened to be standing stock still in the middle of the avenue.

"Bonnie!" Damon rushed over to her and pulled her into the nearest alleyway. He could still hear people yelling and cursing, and from across the road, he saw Matt Donovan beeline for them from The Grill.

"What the hell was that about?" Matt yelled. They both looked to Bonnie but the girl seemed catatonic. Damon saw a bulge under the right lapel of the jacket, as he pulled it away, he saw the knife sticking out of her shoulder. Blood was seeping into her shirt and just beginning to drip down the front. Damon cursed and bit down on his wrist. He lifted it to her mouth, but she made no effort to drink, with his other arm, he swiftly pulled the knife free.

At the feeling of the letter opener being removed, Bonnie awoke in a fury. She yelled and clawed at Damon, her eyes squeezed tight. The street lamps and windows nearby exploded, glass showered over them and the wind began howling.

"Jesus, Bonnie snap out of it!" Damon growled. He grabbed her by the arms and shook her a little. Matt grabbed her face and tried to help still her thrashing.

"Bon, look at me. You're okay, your safe." He said, stroking at her cheeks. Slowly her eyes opened and she looked between the blond and Damon.

"Matt?" She whispered. Damon released her and she slumped against Matt wearily. He wrapped his arms around her and glanced worriedly towards Damon.

"Yeah Bon, it's me. You're okay, we got ya." He looked down at her. Bonnie's hair stood in disarray, chunks of wood trapped in the tangles. She was still trembling and her face had turned a sickly green.

Damon growled as he took in the devastation, he knew this trip had been a bad idea. He glanced over to Matt.

"Keep an eye on her for a second. I'm going to get my car." He touched Bonnie's shoulder to get her attention and grimaced when she flinched. Vacant eyes perused him. "I'll be right back, Bon. I promise." He watched her nod, then sped off.

* * *

Kai groaned as he began to come to. His eyes felt like sand paper when he tried to open them. As the blurriness faded, colors and shapes began to take form. He looked across to find a blazing fire in a very familiar sitting room. Kai's head swam as he struggled to sit up.

"I wouldn't recommend getting up just yet. Although my blood healed your infection, I'm afraid I did have to drain you a bit in order to resuscitate myself and my friends."

Kai turned to find a blond man sitting in the winged arm chair across from him. The clothing was different, but the face he recognized as the vampire who had initially attacked him.

"I staked you." He said hoarsely. " How-"

"I think you'll find my friends and I not as easy to kill as our conventional vampire counterparts." The man murmured. Kai tensed noticeably. "I do not intend you further harm, Malachai. The previous encounter was unfortunate, but a necessary evil. In fact, I believe we may be of great assistance to one another."

Kai squinted at the vampire and cocked his head to the side. There was something off about the creature's aura, something he had never seen before. "Don't take this personally, but I'm not much for making deals with complete strangers who've just used me for lunch, even if they know my name." He drawled.

The blond smiled. "Then let me introduce myself. My name is Gabriel, and I think you'll find we're not so estranged from you." Gabriel leaned forward. "In fact, I think you'll come to find that we've actually have quite a lot in common."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 : Chapter 5**

Bonnie remained quiet the whole trip back to the Boarding house. Damon glanced at her from the review mirror as he sped home, but could not coax her eyes to meet his. Matt sat in the back with her, occasionally murmuring and coddling her like a frightened child. The complete stillness from the Bennett witch unnerved Damon, whether angry, elated, or even in depression, Bonnie had always remained animated. The lifeless doll in the back seat that had replaced his friend left a hollow ache in the vampire's chest.

They pulled into the circular driveway and up to the front door. Damon hopped out and reached into the back, helping Matt pull a seemingly catatonic Bonnie out. The moment his hand touched her, the witch recoiled swiftly away from him. Matt glanced between the two supernaturals, then placed a hand on the small of Bonnie's back, guiding her into the living room.

Damon growled and followed, he headed straight for the bar as the two settled on the couch. The vampire knew this trip had been a bad idea. Opening a brand new bottle, he didn't bother to dirty a glass as he proceeded to swallow down half it's contents.

The front door opened and in traipsed Elena, Ric, and Jo. The latter two paused at the sight that greeted them, but Elena rushed to her friend. She brushed the disheveled strands of hair from the other girl's face.

"What happened?" She whispered, turning to her boyfriend for answers. She continued to stroke the witch's hair as she looked expectantly at Damon.

"Hell if I know. One minute we were in the shop grabbing goodies to make my mom a Daylight ring, the next she's seeing things and running out to play in traffic." He growled defensively.

"Did she touch or inhale anything strange while the two of you were in there?" Jo asked as she stepped further into the room. She crouched in front of the trio, assessing Bonnie as well as she could without her equipment.

"You'll have to be a bit more specific, Dr. Quinn. It was a magic shop, what isn't weird and strange? You JuJu types think hanging shrunken heads makes for great decor, so how the hell would I know if something was off? He snarled.

Jo scoffed. "Oh please, shrunken heads are so last spring." The medic smirked at Damon as he rolled his eyes. She turned back to her patient.

"Well she's obviously in shock, but without knowing what brought this on, it's hard to say if this is magic related or not." She hemmed.

"We found this sticking out of her shoulder." Matt handed the letter opener over to Ric to peruse. "I saw her standing outside the store, it looked like she was in some sort of trance. Then she just bolted, I don't think she even knew where she was until we grabbed her. She blew out half the windows and transformers on Main street when she came out of it though. I text Charlie on the way here; he said The Grill still doesn't have power, looks like the generator got hit by lightening."

The others turned watchful eyes back to the little witch. Elena nervously glanced between her boyfriend and mentor.

"You said she used her ancestor's Expression magic to get back; I don't have a lot of personal experience with it, aside from hearing about the Covens dealings with the Travelers. Do you think it could be causing her to lash out like this?" Jo looked to the group hovering over Bonnie.

"Wouldn't be surprised. The last time she meddled in the stuff, she dropped the veil to the Spirit World and almost obliterated the whole town." Damon mused.

"She used it to raise Silas, and bring my brother Jeremy back from the dead." Elena explained. Jo's eyes widened at the name of the first immortal. "It killed her." The girl whispered. Elena looked fearfully to Damon.

"That's not gonna happen again." The vampire growled. He began pacing in front of the fire place. "I told her holding onto that crap was nothing but trouble. The moment she wakes up, she's getting rid of it. If I have to lock her in the damn basement until she does, I will."

"I'm afraid I'm out of my league here." Jo stood. She wrapped an arm around Alaric and looked to the others hesitantly. "Even if I had my powers, I'm no match for a witch of Bonnie's caliber, and since I left the coven, I don't have access to any of the archives. As much as I hate to admit this, we may have to call my brother for help. Kai's the only one who'd have access to all the research the Gemini have done on Expression, and if it came down to it, as Coven leader, he's the only one strong enough to stop Bonnie from self destructing."

Silence filled the room, but was soon shattered by a high peel of laughter. Five pairs of eyes turned to watch as Bonnie doubled over in hysterics. The girl clutched at her aching ribs, trying to stop and catch breath, but as soon as she managed, another bout hit her and left the witch wiping tears from her taut cheeks.

"Bon?' Matt asked warily. He put a cautious hand to her back. The girl immediately stopped and turned to stare at him. He glanced to the others in the room, then back to her. "You okay?"

Bonnie burst into another round of dark chuckles, then suddenly stood and made her way to the bar. She plucked the bourbon from Damon's hands, taking a healthy swallow. Sighing, she turned back to the stunned group. She stared at Damon.

"You wanna tell her or should I? I mean, it might be better if I do right? At least then we know Jo will get the truth, seeing as your so fond of keeping secrets these days, aren't you Damon?"

Damon eyed the petite girl in front of him warily, but said nothing. Bonnie smiled ruefully and turned to Jo.

"Your brother won't be much help to anybody." She sighed. "See Damon and I planned out this whole revenge thing, and I stabbed Kai in the back and left him to freeze in 1903." At this, Bonnie laughed again and walked closer to Damon. She stopped and stared him right in the eye. "But what Damon failed to mention, was that his mother wasn't alone in 1903. His mommy had some very thirsty friends with her, and they've been snacking on your brother like he's an all you can eat buffet."

There was a pause in the room. Jo's face paled and she clutched at Ric's arm, he wrapped it around her to steady his fiancee.

"You did what?" She whispered in horror. A hand flew unconsciously to her still flat stomach. "Please, please tell me you didn't. Tell me this is a joke." At the continued silence, she stared up at the two people in front of her. "Do you realize what you done?!"

Elena stood and touched the older women on the shoulder gently. "Jo what's wrong? We thought you'd be happy. With Kai gone, you're safe, he can't hurt you anymore."

Jo wrenched away from the girl. "I need some air, I'm going to be sick." She rushed from the room, slamming the door as she left.

"What the hell's wrong with her?! And you, for that matter, Judgey? I didn't see you complaining too hard when you were planning on disemboweling the little psycho, what the hell does it matter now if a couple vamps get a free meal out of him? He's still dead!" Damon snarled. Bonnie opened her mouth, but was cut off by a very quiet voice.

"The problem, you complete Dick, is that as the leader of the Gemini coven, if Kai dies, they all die. So you have not only sentenced him to death, but everyone in their family too. Including Liv, Jo," Ric paused and looked up to glare individually at the three people surrounding him. "And the baby Jo's carrying. You've just potentially killed my future wife and my kid, asshole." He raged. Alaric stalked up to the raven haired vampire before him, his eyes blazing. "So help me Damon, you better fix this shit, and now, or I'll come back and finish the job I originally came to this town to do." He hissed. The occult professor turned on his heel, leaving the stunned room with a final slam of the front door.

"I should probably be getting back, I'm sure there's still plenty of clean up to do at work, power or not." Matt stood awkwardly. As no one replied, he made a stealthy exit.

The remaining three continued to stand silently. Finally Bonnie turned, finished the remaining Bourbon in the bottle, and then headed for the stairway. She was halfway up when an icy grip wrapped around her wrist.

"Where do you think your going?"

Bonnie turned to meet Damon's exasperated and questing glare and sent a searing bolt of magic through the hand that held her. Damon sucked in a breath as he quickly drew his hand away, he looked up to glare at the witch standing before him.

"Anywhere the hell away from you." Bonnie snarled in disgust. She turned to leave but Damon grabbed her again. Immediately, Bonnie whipped around, her magic lashing out and throwing the vampire across the main hall. Elena cried out and rushed to her boyfriend, looking in dismay between the two as she crouched by his side. She tried to help him up but Damon brushed her aside and stalked towards Bonnie.

"You mind telling me just what the hell your problem is, Bon Bon?" He whispered as he looked up at her. Bonnie stepped down from the remaining stairs and glared back up at him.

"My problem, Damon? My problem is that it always seems like I'm cleaning up your messes. Why is that?" She arched a brow at him. "Why is it every time you come up with a plan to save us all, it always blows up in our faces and I have to risk my life to fix it?" Bonnie replied scathingly.

"Don't act like you didn't have a hand in this, Bennett. I wasn't the only one in that dorm room scheming." Damon sneered.

"No you weren't. But you were the only one with all the information, weren't you? Once again, you only give me the pieces of the story that suit you, the ones that will get me to jump through your hoops." Bonnie laughed sadly. "You'd think after six years I'd have learned not to trust anything you say."

Damon's jaw clenched, and he had to swallow down the sudden burning ache in his throat. " I didn't know about my mom's little groupies, Bon, and honestly, if it wasn't for Jo being with Ric, I could give a shit if they drained Kai dry and all those little Gemini freaks turned toes up. I admit, I might have screwed up, but it was an accident Bonnie. I didn't lie or hide anything from you!"

"How did I find the map on my birthday?" The soft whisper cut through Damon like a hot blade. "I remember that morning, kind of hard to forget the details of the last day you think you'll ever see alive." A soft gasp from the corner, had both turning to Elena. Bonnie smirked and shook her head ruefully.

"I know you know I tried to kill myself, it's not some big secret." She turned back to Damon, and he opened his mouth, but the witch cut him off.

"See, I remember that map laying closed on the kitchen table. I can still see it, up here." She pointed to her temple as her eyes began to water. Damon reached for her, but Bonnie staggered away from him. The windows around the house began to darken as the clouds drew in. Bonnie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before staring at the vampire in front of her, limpid emerald pools brimming.

"Tell me Kai didn't cast the spell, Damon. Tell me he didn't send you all back for me, that Liv didn't stab him in the back and he still helped Jeremy open that garage door, so I wouldn't suffocate. Tell me he didn't do all of that, and that you didn't keep it from me." She whispered again as she stared him down.

Damon cleared his throat, trying to get the words to escape around the sudden lump he found forming. When nothing came, he shook his head and stared at his friend before him, pleading. Bonnie turned to leave, and in his desperation, Damon vamped ahead of her on the stairs, holding his arms out, careful to keep from touching her while completely blocking her exit. Bonnie narrowed her eyes at him, and in the distance he could hear thunder rumble. He swallowed again and looked at the witch.

"Kai did help us try to rescue you, and I did keep it from you." He said hoarsely. "Because I knew, if you knew what he had done, you'd go all noble and self sacrificing on me and let the little bastard live. He hurt you Bonnie, I thought he'd killed you when you saved me and the thought that he might get the chance to do it again damn near killed me! I couldn't take that chance, not with your fucking life on the line again, so I made a decision, and I'm not sorry I did!"

"It wasn't your decision to make, Damon!" Bonnie hurled back at him. "Whether I chose to forgive Kai or not, it was my choice to make, and on my own terms! You just condemned a man and a whole family full of innocent people to death, for some of the same things you yourself are guilty of! What makes you more deserving of my forgiveness?"

Damon flung a hand through his hair. "You said it yourself, I showed remorse, he doesn't have any!"

"Someone risking there own life to help save mine sounds pretty remorseful to me. You're not my father Damon, you don't get to dictate my life and my decisions!" She shouted, a vase down the hall exploded and lightning flashed dangerously close to the house. Elena squeaked.

Damon closed the remaining space between the two of them. He snarled, his vampire eyes flashing for a brief moment. "No but you are my friend, and it's my job to get the dirty work done when you've clearly gone completely crazy pants!"

Bonnie through up a hand and Damon toppled over the railing, crashing through the side table in the hall. He groaned and reached behind him to remove a rather large splinter from his back. He looked up to find the little witch towering over him, her eyes glowing. From the corner of his eye, he could see Elena shifting nervously, unsure how to intervene or whose side to take. He turned back as Bonnie crouched over him. Damon tried to sit up, but found himself immobilized.

"You're going to listen to me, Damon, and for once, you're going to keep that smart mouth of yours shut. If you don't, I'm at the point where I may just burn it shut for you." Bonnie seethed. After a moment of silence from him, she continued. "I'm going to clean up this mess; not for you, but for Jo and Ric and their baby, they shouldn't have to suffer just because you can't seem to stop screwing up. I want the Ascendant, you will go get it. Then after this is over, I don't want to hear from you. I don't want to hear you breathe, I don't want to hear you speak, until if or when I decide I'm ready to forgive you. If I so much as hear your name mentioned from across a bar somewhere, you will regret it. Nod if I'm making myself clear."

Damon looked into the face that had been his only solace for four months, he found nothing of the warm hopeful girl she had been before. He looked down and ruefully nodded his head once.

Bonnie stood and stepped back from him, she raised her hand expectantly. "Give me the Ascendant."

Damon stood and brushed at his clothes, trying to delay another bout of unpleasant news. When he looked up, Bonnie raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed and rolled his eyes heavenward.

"I don't have it. I gave it to Lilly as a bargaining chip so she would help me get Stefan back."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at him, and for a moment, Damon expected her to make good on her promise. She stepped up to him again.

"Get it. Give it to Jo or Ric and have them contact me once they're ready."

With that, Bonnie turned on her heel and stormed through the front door, heading out into the quickly arriving night.

Damon sighed and rubbed a palm over his very tired eyes. He felt Elena near him and he looked up to smile ruefully at her, desperate to hide the sudden empty feeling he felt in his chest.

"You okay?" She whispered as she rubbed a hand up and down his arm.

"I'm fine." He shrugged and smirked. "And I'll be even better when this whole mess is taken care of, so," Damon stood straight and rubbed his hands together. "First, we grab my mom, force her to make good on her promise. We get Blondie and Clyde back to normal, and then we play rescue for Charlie Manson and his cult of twins." Damon grabbed Elena's hand and headed for his mother's room. He was tired of playing nice, the sooner he got things back to normal, the better.

Kai watched the softly drifting snow pile up outside the door. The sun was just starting to set, painting the landscape in burnt orange and soft indigo hues. He sighed and rubbed at his arms, trying to diffuse the chill that never seemed to leave his bones.

"Are you well Malachai?"

Kai turned to see Gabriel and the others all seated at the table that had been empty moments ago. They moved like wraiths, never more than a whisper announcing their presence. He admitted, while creepy, their reverence for silence seemed appropriate in this vintage wasteland. Two of the women, Constance and Temperance, sat close together, their heads bowed towards one another as they conversed quietly. The third, a dark skinned woman named Tituba sat straight and still, eying Kai and Gabriel. Kai kept wondering if she might be the very same Tituba mentioned during the Salem witch trials, but thought better than to ask. He wasn't here to make friends. Although the power they possessed did prove tempting, Kai had no wish to spend anymore time than necessary with this odd group in order to ensure his freedom. Something in their collective aura left him queasy and on edge.

He joined Gabriel as the vampire sat in one of the chairs next to the hearth. The final three of the group leaned casually against the fireplace. Eli, a tall silver haired man that reminded Kai of his father, stood closest to Gabriel. The stocky one, Ephraim, with the handle bar mustache stooped over the fire,prodding it to life, while the youngest appearing, a blonde boy of about seventeen, by the name of Jacob sat on an old barrel to the left of Kai. The boy grinned when he noticed him looking, his teeth almost luminescent they were so white. What would have been charming and friendly on a normal teenager, looked sinister and menacing coming from the eternally youthful vampire. Kai wondered if his eyes had looked that dead as he had grinned down on his sister the night he slaughtered their siblings.

"I know that you doubt our sincerity to do you no harm. But I promise you Malachi, my people and I have no quarrel with you. You have been our savior; if not for your blood, we would still be desiccated, forever trapped in this eternal winter now that Lilly has abandoned us. We only want freedom as you do." Gabriel reasoned. He folded his hands and watched Kai expectantly.

"But that's not all you want. You want to obliterate my Coven for locking you up in the first place." Gabriel made to interject, but Kai held up his hand. "While I want the same thing you do, I want it on my terms. Plus, who's to say you won't just kill me as soon as you get out of here? I mean, I am the new Coven leader and all, killing me would be the quickest way to ensure genocide."

"The enemy of mine enemy is my friend." Jacob spoke up from beside him. Kai turned and the child grinned gleefully at him.

"You can read, good for you kid." Kai smiled back. Jacob glowered and made to stand, but a warning look from Gabriel stilled him.

"You must forgive Jacob, he is, impetuous, as most youth are. However, He is not wrong. The very coven you lead, Malachi, is the very same coven that incarcerated you. The same coven that incarcerated us. I see no reason why we cannot work together to rid ourselves of those who would judge us merely for being born different from them. Nature gave us our siphoning abilities, just as it gave witches their magic, why should we be made to suffer simply because they fear those more powerful than themselves?" Gabriel leaned forward, the light from the fire casting him in an eery orange glow. "I know you feel the same. Deep down, a part of you knew your family feared you; not for the harm you could cause, but for the power you could have over them."

Kai's mind flashed back to the moment when he was five. He watched his sister gleefully jump up and down as she made the goose feathers dance around the room. He had been in awe of his sweet Josette, she practically shimmered as the magic floated in tendrils from her to the white fluff in the air. His father had stood to the side, smiling at the early talent his child had shown. Kai remembered seeing that smile on his father's face, a rare occurrence in the Parker household. He had wanted to own it for himself, wanted to feel the same pride bestowed upon him like a desert plant wants to feel the rain. His five year old self had rushed to his sisters' side, pushing her out of the way to make room. As his hand had come in contact with her bare arm, a burning rush had filled his whole body. He felt lightning skate through his veins, filling him till there was no room left. The burning soon was replaced by a euphoria he had never known before. His body felt weightless, Kai had sworn he would have floated forever had he not been retained by the walls of the Parker living room. This all came to a crashing halt when he felt himself jerked across the room. Kai's shoulder had slammed into the wall and he looked up to see his sister crying in their mother's arms, while their father stared at him in horror and disgust. There had also been something else in his father's eyes that day, something he had not recognized because he himself had been too full of it:_ fear._

"As I explained before, we ourselves were all Gemini, before we were cast out as abominations. We seek only to exact the justice denied us by the Counsel and their fear mongers."

"Not all of you were Gemini." Kai quipped as he glanced back to the table. One of the two women conversing looked up. Temperance's' skin was a soft light brown, with warm undertones. Kai's teeth grit together in annoyance. She looked so much like Bonnie, but the eyes were wrong. Bonnie's eyes were the forest floor after a spring rain, Temperance's were the clouds above, dark gray and filled with turmoil. The similarities scraped at his nerves like nails on a chalk board.

Gabriel glanced as well. "Yes, technically all females born to a Bennett witch remain Bennett's. But Temperance's father was a Parker, and through him she inherited the gift we all share."

"Why not use her blood to activate the Ascendant? You could've been out of hear the next day, killed the Coven, and been back in New York in time for your next boatload of victims." Kai quipped. He leaned back, eyeing the lot of them.

"Because, her blood is tainted by our vampirism." Tituba stood and made her way to the fire. Her russet skirts swayed softly around her curves whispering as they glided across the cold floor. "Despite the fact that we retain our powers, the vampire blood in our systems still changes what we are." Kai looked up as the woman smiled cattily down on him. "Besides, even as a Bennett, Temperance was never the strongest of the group. Pity really." Tituba looked across the room smiling as Temperance ducked her head.

"Tituba please." Gabriel cautioned. She looked at him for a moment before retreating back to her seat. Kai watched her warily, and she smirked at him as she sat down, returning to her silent watchfulness. Gabriel cleared his throat and smiled wearily at Kai. "We did try, but our attempts with Temperance's blood proved to be fruitless. We were hoping, given that you yourself had escaped your prison, you may have knowledge as to how we may finally be freed."

Kai thought for a moment, his mind filling with the image of Bonnie's stunned face as he pressed the knife deep into her abdomen. He grimaced inwardly, as much as he would enjoy enacting his revenge on his sweet little Bennett, he was not keen to offer her up to these unknown individuals. He looked up and smiled at Gabriel.

"Oh I have a way out, the question is, what will you all be giving me in return?"

Gabriel smiled and glanced around to the others. He reached into his left breast pocket, and pulled out an aged piece of paper and a vial. The paper was scattered with runes while the vial flashed quicksilver in the light. " I believe you'll find this a very handy spell." He said as he passed it to Kai.

Kai perused the runes, a childlike grin coming to his face as a plan began to develop in his mind. Oh this would work very nicely indeed. He looked back up to Gabriel.

"Wouldn't happen to have a map of Canada lying around would you?"

Gabriel stared ponderously into the fire, his fingers steeped before his chin. The others had left awhile ago; Kai taking the men to give them directions based on the atlas in the study.

"I know that look, what are you worried about?"

A pair of dark hands ran though his silvery blonde hair, scratching lightly at his scalp. Gabriel sighed then pulled on one of the hands to bring it's owner around to sit on the side of the armchair. He looked up into the deep brown eyes gazing at him curiously.

"A hundred years we have rotted here, frozen and decayed. To think it all may soon be over is surreal."

Tituba snorted and brought her hand up, running a finger across the bridge of his brow, soothing at the worry lines that converged there.

"How such a trivial thing has made an old man of my immortal." She hemmed. "I knew him once when we was great, and the world trembled at his feet. That he should dangle by the strings of one petulant boy seems so sad to me."

Gabriel pulled her hand from his brow, kissing her fingers lightly. "The boy holds no sway over me, Malachi is easily manipulated, and will soon come to heel at his new master's feet."

"Then what troubles my forlorn king? Why do you dwell in these shadows alone when we should be preparing?"

Gabriel thoughts drifted to the storeroom and the strange girl who had vanished from his grasp, eyes as green as moss burning into his mind. He shook his head.

"The time approaches when we must honor our debts. I was merely reflecting upon what must be done."

Tituba's eyes narrowed and her lip curled. "I will gladly play my part to be rid of that Bennett nuisance. But if she should fail in this as she has before, what is to become of us?"

Gabriel pulled the smaller woman closer, his hands running along her back. He thought again of the girl in the store room, of her vibrant green eyes and familiar face. "Even if Temperance fails us, I have no doubts that all will be well." He smiled.


End file.
